Reply To: Is It the End of the World Am as we know it

[Rick Kimbrell]

I signed up at 4:00AM the morning registration opened this year. This will be my 35th consecutive year. Am I a sucker for coming back every year? You may think so. I don’t. The only night the food and drink lines seem to be intolerable is Monday night (1st night). If you base your decision on whether or not to come to the Convention Center solely on coming on a Monday night…try Tuesday or any other night.
As far as the food you get there…it really hasn’t changed very much. You are not going to get a full meal at any one place unless you keep circling thru the line over and over and over. And, it wasn’t intended to be that way.
From a golf perspective, it is huge fun, great competition, and chance to meet new folks every year. I am sorry the Legends courses are not included. And, the Big Cats courses…they should be dropped. They are in horrible shape and have been for a few years now. If I draw one of them, I will play it and I will write yet another bad review on Golfpass and anywhere else I can find. People used to complain about Wedgefield down in Georgetown. Any of the Big Cats courses make Wedgefield seem like Augusta National.
The price has gone up marginally but so has everything else I buy. Also more expensive are air fares, hotels and rent cars. If I couldn’t afford it, I wouldn’t come.
Honestly, what may prevent me from coming after 2022 has nothing to do with cost. I am getting to the point where my arthritis in my hands is having a huge impact on my ability to play golf and with the new (so called better) World Handicap System, I am soft capped at a handicap level where I simply am not very competitive because my hands don’t cooperate when I am playing every day.
No, I don’t think the World Am is at its end as we know it. But, when you have played in it as many years as I have…you would/will see lots and lots of changes. It cannot remain the same year after year.
What I would like to see at the Convention Center would be the major equipment companies with demo areas set up so you can hit their clubs. That seems to come and go and come and go. Having it again would be great.
So, God willing, I will see you all there in August again this year and hopefully years to come.